Dana, thru her own sadly typical inaction, had gotten caught up in
the currents and whirlpools that had taken them to this place. A place
where she was dating ‘power lesbians’ and attending one celebrity
filled event after another. A place where her friends were starting to
look at her as if they didn’t know her anymore. Where Dana began not to
know herself. “How did we get here?” she wondered again, for the 1000th
time.

In the beginning, Alice’s insecurities about their relationship
would ebb and then return with a vengeance. It did not escape the
tennis player that her lover’s more erratic mood swings had begun with
the new medication she was taking for her ADD. However whenever Dana
would try to make that connection Alice would dismiss it, seeming to
focus exclusively on what she called ‘the Lara issue.’

The up and down nature of their relationship continued to wear on
them both. When finally Alice came home one day and said it had stopped
being worth it for her Dana didn’t argue. She missed her best friend.
She was despondent over the mistrustful woman who seemed to have taken
her place. She was exhausted from recycling defenses, frustrated by the
endless fears that she knew to be baseless. Hurt, because Alice
wouldn’t hear her, believe her.

 And yet she missed her unbearably. It didn’t get easier with
time as she’d promised herself. Since their break up she carried Alice
always in her thoughts. More recently Dana had begun not sleeping.
Their fight at Shane’s haunted her. She revisited it at night too
often, feeling guiltier each time.

She had been fairly certain after that night that it would be a very
long time before either one of them considered trying to rebuild their
friendship. They had each stated that position fairly clearly to one
and other.

3 WEEKS AGO, SHANE AND JENNY’S PARTY

‘Dana! Get in here!’ yelped Shane, happily drawing her friend into a
bear hug. Dana hadn’t been around too much the last few months and
though they’d worked hard to keep in touch- it was wonderful to have
her there in the flesh. Bette, Tina, Jenny and Carmen joined the
welcome party at the door. “Dana!” they greeted in chorus. After much
hugging and happy chatter, Dana entered the living room where she was
greeted again by the voice that had been missing.

 ”Dana Fairbanks. You look just like you do on television,”
drawled Alice from the couch. “Though I thought you’d be taller.”